US Links of Controversial Korean Faith-Healer
Richard Bartholomew printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Sun Nov 19, 2006 at 06:39:51 PM EST
The strange alliance between the US Christian Right and the Unification Church has been assiduously documented by a number of journalists - particularly, of course, John Gorenfeld. However, Rev Moon not the only controversial Korean figure who has been embraced by some Christian conservatives in the USA: several months ago, the Family Research Council's David Prentice travelled to the Philippines to a take part in a conference organised by the ministry of Jaerock Lee, a neo-Pentecostal faith-healer with some very eccentric beliefs. In 1999 Lee allegedly directed a mob of followers to invade a Korean television station just before a critical documentary was due to be aired.
Objective reporting about Lee and his "Manmin" Church is hard to come by, but critics (which include conservative Christian groups in Korea) have documented some of Lee's alleged teaching. Here's a sample:
In 1992, Lee-Jaerock said that during a blood transfusion he shed out all blood received from his parents, and he then received sinless blood, so his original sin and committing sins had disappeared. And he insisted that it is just like the sinless blood of Jesus. (July 5 1998 Evening service)

... In addition, Lee-Jaerock said that he has no original sin and commits no sin. And because the Lord and he is one. the Lord put him in the sun and moon and proclaims it to the world. (July 5 1998 evening service)

... Lee-Jaerock said, because he and God became one, he appears in the sun and moon. And it is the thing that he register as a patent. (June 28 1998 evening service, October 16 1998 Friday overnight service) Because Lee-Jaerock believed, obeyed and testified the words of the 66 Bible books as it is, he became one with God and he is in the left hand of God's throne. (July 5 1998 evening service) Lee-Jaerock said that God put Lee-Jaerock inside of the moon and the electric lamp and told 'You and Me are one". (July 17 1998 Friday overnight service)


Less amusingly, Lee also claims to be able to heal the sick, and a recent report from ASSIST Ministries (a neo-Pentecostal news service that champions Lee in the USA) describes a "healing festival" led by his daughter in West Bengal which featured at least one person throwing away their medicine to show faith in their healing. That event was facilitated by an Asian branch of the Campus Crusade for Christ.

According to his church's website, Lee was born in 1943, and was converted after being cured of unspecified mortal diseases in 1974:

In 1986, Rev. Dr. Lee was ordained as a pastor at the Annual Assembly of Jesus' Sungkyul Church of Korea, and four years later in 1990, his sermons began to be broadcast on the Far East Broadcasting Company, the Asia Broadcast Station, and the Washington Christian Radio System to Australia, Russia, the Philippines, and many more.

Three years later in 1993, Manmin Joong-ang Church was selected as one of the "World's Top 50 Churches" by the Christian World magazine (US) and he received an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Christian Faith College, Florida, USA, and in 1996 a Ph. D. in Ministry from Kingsway Theological Seminary, Iowa, USA.

Since 1993, Rev. Dr. Lee has taken the lead in world mission through many overseas crusades in the USA, Tanzania, Argentina, Uganda, Japan, Pakistan, Kenya, the Philippines, Honduras, India, Russia, Germany, Peru and DR Congo, and in 2002 he was called a "worldwide pastor" by major Christian newspapers in Korea for his work in various overseas crusades.


David Prentice's presence at a Manmin-organised conference in the Philippines was explained by a press release carried by the American Family Association's Agape Press back in May:
...More than 500 physicians from 20 countries are expected to gather to discuss how spirituality and medicine go together and to present medical data about the works of divine healing at the Third International Christian Medical Conference on June 1-2 at Grand Convention Center in Cebu City, the Philippines. The conference -- with the theme "Spirituality & Medicine - III (Pursuit for Excellence)" -- will seek to enhance believers' faith while emphasizing the fact that God is indeed the Healer. International delegates and some of the best in their medical fields will exchange notes on divine healing and present more than ten cases backed by medical data in which patients received healing by prayer. Presented will be healing cases of first-degree disability, stomach cancer, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, tennis elbow tendonitis, Celiac disease, infertility, facial burn, intra-cerebral hemorrhage, quadriplegia, spinal tuberculosis, and many other healing cases of incurable and terminal diseases. Keynote addresses will be delivered by Hon. Antonio Yapha, Jr., M.D., chairman of Committee on Health, House of Representatives, the Philippines, and Rev. Bishop Romeo Corpuz, Sr., president of All Creation Global Network Ministries, Inc. On June 2, Dr. David Prentice, Ph.D. (senior fellow for life sciences at Family Research Council, a Washington, DC-based think tank) will give a special lecture entitled: "Stem Cells, Cloning, and Other Biotechnologies: What Value for Human Life?" More information about the conference is available on the Internet through the World Christian Doctors Network.

The World Christian Doctors Network exists purely to promote the alleged supernatural powers of Lee, and this is the body that organised the conference.

ASSIST has been providing puff pieces on Lee for several years. Back in 2003 the news service covered a healing festival in Russia, which featured a piece of rather unimpressive photographic evidence of a miracle healing. At the time, a Russian doctor was quoted as saying he intended to publish a scientific study that would prove Lee's miraculous abilities. I contacted Dan Wooding, who runs ASSIST, for more information. Wooding, who, although somewhat credulous is an honest person, forwarded my request to Johnny Kim, who deals with Lee's PR and who has written some of the pieces published by ASSIST. After I received no response, I asked Wooding if he might like to consider consulting someone with another perspective: perhaps someone from CSICOP, or, if he preferred, a co-religionist such as the British evangelical Anglican Peter May, who has written critically about Morris Cerullo. Sadly, the only reply I got to that was a cryptic notice that I had been removed from ASSIST's subscription service (which was odd, since I wasn't on it).

Recently, Lee made an appearance in Madison Square. ASSIST duly reported that

New York State Senator Ruben Diaz proclaimed the recognition of Dr. Lee's ministry on behalf of the State of New York.
However, protests by several Korean Christian groups outside the venue were not deemed worthy of a mention.

Lee's presence in the USA is also facilitated by involvement with a television station, the Global Christian Network. Wooding claims that the New York launch of the channel was attended by a supernatural glowing cross above the Empire State Building; he even has a photograph.




Display:
Another site heavily critical of Lee can be found here.

by Richard Bartholomew on Sun Nov 19, 2006 at 06:48:21 PM EST

Most medicine are from korea or china as most of their population has invested in medicine one example is cbd gummies. Many people like the flavour of it and are very happy from its results.


by LayneMarvin on Thu Mar 12, 2020 at 03:09:08 PM EST


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